Purchase Decision

[Shaund]

Hi all,

In fear of being shouted at for a question that's probably been asked a thousand times in the past, but in light of current press releases I am going to ask!

its April 2016, NAB 16 about to happen, new dji products (P4) released Typhoon H with RealSense about to be shipped, so would you buy a solo as your first drone?

I have investigated other manufacturers and understand that the SOLO was released almost 12 months ago and the newer drones are bound to have additional functionality, I have been impressed by these but I am still drawn to the 3dr solution due to the open platform technology being utilised. although I do not see how this has benefited at this time (I could be wrong).

As i look through old and new posts there appears to be issues with the interface between the Solo, Gimbal and GoPro camera, is still ongoing or is all resolved now?

Also read that the GPS technology in the SOLO is poor and connectivity can be lost easily, Is this correct, if so can the unit be modified to increase connectivity.

I have no drone experience so need a bird that is suitable for a beginner but is also flexible enough to be used as my skill set increases. The drone would be used for aerial photography, not following me along a dirt route on a bike or jumping out of airborne flying objects or skiing down a mountains etc, too old for all that.

ShaunD

 

[Ed Beck]

As i look through old and new posts there appears to be issues with the interface between the Solo, Gimbal and GoPro camera, is still ongoing or is all resolved now?

I've never had a problem with the Solo, gimbal and GoPro.

Also read that the GPS technology in the SOLO is poor and connectivity can be lost easily, Is this correct, if so can the unit be modified to increase connectivity.

Correct, easily fixed for $13 with a GPS Isolation Plate. The web site for the store is down for maintenance until April 8th ???????

I have no drone experience so need a bird that is suitable for a beginner but is also flexible enough to be used as my skill set increases. The drone would be used for aerial photography, not following me along a dirt route on a bike or jumping out of airborne flying objects or skiing down a mountains etc, too old for all that.

I think Solo is an excellent platform for this. The best feature is multi-point cable cam, which allows you to create a flight path along which Solo will fly to capture the video. Depending on what resolution you may require I'd consider waiting until the Sony camera interface is available.

 

[Satmandanny]

Yes you can get some cardboard and finish the research and product development and improve the sorry GPS quality that 3DR failed to do. I have had 4 Solo vehicles. 3DR has cross shipped product. One smoked fresh out of the box. One lost a ESC in the motor. Don't even get started on the worst design using the HDMI cable from gimbal to video board. Everytime you crack open this open source contraption and reinsert the cable three fights later it's back to pixelating and locking up. Horrible design. And now, after the really good customer phone support that they had worked so hard to provide has perminately closed and no longer provide any consumer phone support. All support is now over Chat or Email. So: The Writing Is On The Wall For 3D Robotics.

 

[Tony yeareg]

Yes you can get some cardboard and finish the research and product development and improve the sorry GPS quality that 3DR failed to do. I have had 4 Solo vehicles. 3DR has cross shipped product. One smoked fresh out of the box. One lost a ESC in the motor. Don't even get started on the worst design using the HDMI cable from gimbal to video board. Everytime you crack open this open source contraption and reinsert the cable three fights later it's back to pixelating and locking up. Horrible design. And now, after the really good customer phone support that they had worked so hard to provide has perminately closed and no longer provide any consumer phone support. All support is now over Chat or Email. So: The Writing Is On The Wall For 3D Robotics.

I am sure all of these happened to you.. Its alright I am sure your DJI is the best thing right?

 

[Maddog]

Hi all,

In fear of being shouted at for a question that's probably been asked a thousand times in the past, but in light of current press releases I am going to ask!

its April 2016, NAB 16 about to happen, new dji products (P4) released Typhoon H with RealSense about to be shipped, so would you buy a solo as your first drone?

I have investigated other manufacturers and understand that the SOLO was released almost 12 months ago and the newer drones are bound to have additional functionality, I have been impressed by these but I am still drawn to the 3dr solution due to the open platform technology being utilised. although I do not see how this has benefited at this time (I could be wrong).

As i look through old and new posts there appears to be issues with the interface between the Solo, Gimbal and GoPro camera, is still ongoing or is all resolved now?

Also read that the GPS technology in the SOLO is poor and connectivity can be lost easily, Is this correct, if so can the unit be modified to increase connectivity.

I have no drone experience so need a bird that is suitable for a beginner but is also flexible enough to be used as my skill set increases. The drone would be used for aerial photography, not following me along a dirt route on a bike or jumping out of airborne flying objects or skiing down a mountains etc, too old for all that.

ShaunD

Hi Shaun- welcome to the forum! Don't be afraid to ask questions.
I bought my Solo in Aug. 2015, and have never had problems with the stock HDMI cable. There is a replacement cable available if you have problems.

I did replace the GPS module with the M8N and get faster acquisition and more satellites.

I replaced the wifi card in the controller but not in Solo (yet) to improve reliability as I live in an area with lots of wifi interference.

I also replaced the stock antenna with a long range version.

Many people make no modifications and Solo works fine for them.

Gimbal/GoPro problems have been resolved for the most part but we still see posts from folks who just got Solo and can't get a video feed. Replacing the gimbal usually fixes that.

"Fly-aways" with Solo are rare and usually caused by pilot error. If Solo goes "wacko", 3DR can review the flight logs to see if it was a hardware/software malfunction. If so, they will repair/replace the Solo and also the GoPro if necessary at no charge.

I understand DJI still has problems with unexplained "fly-aways".

There is much speculation about the future of Solo. Personally, I would wait until after NAB to see what 3DR comes up with.
(Hopefully that might give us a clue about the future of Solo)

Solo beats them all by far but I am concerned about its' future.

I recommend you continue to research drones. Read forums like this for Solo and the DJI forum. Owners posting the good and bad about their drones are a non-biased source of information, unlike press releases and blogs written by "who knows?"

 

[Flying Squirrel]

Where do you live Shaun?

I've been on board since the pre-order ... The process - the waiting - was at times frustrating to say the least. I experienced some of the problems you will read about on this forum. I have been through tech support more than once, and successfully navigated the RMA process.

Is Solo a good product? Yes ... I am planning to purchase a second Solo.

I feel Solo is an outstanding aerial photography platform, however I would not recommend Solo as a "trainer".

If you're new to drones I recommend purchasing something you can afford to throw away. I suggest joining an RC airplane club and have someone work with you. Orientation and hovering are two must have skills for drone pilots. Yes Solo is capable of automated flight, but a pilot should be capable of bringing Solo home manually.

I fly fixed wing, helicopter and quads ... I used a simulator to help me with hovering. The ability to recover and hover will save $$$ ... Solo was not made for everyday "knocking around" ... I put about 70 flights on mine and fried a motor pod. Yes electronics wear out and fail ... Quads do not last forever. I have a quad that I spent $400 on that I fly when I want to trim grass and practice hitting trees. I use Solo for its intended purpose - aerial photography

My 2 cents ... Feel free to ask questions

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Maddog]

I agree with squirrel about getting a cheap trainer first.
I got a Syma X5C for about $50 to start out with. I wanted to know if I had any of the skills to fly a quadcopter.

After a few months I moved up to the Syma X8C which is similar in size to Solo. Lots more power than the X5C. I still have the X8C which I fly for fun when I don't want to drag Solo out.

 

[rassalas]

3DR needs to get on the ball. Summer is nearly here, and I have not heard anything new except software upgrades, some of which reduced functionality.

 

[Flying Squirrel]

3DR needs to get on the ball. Summer is nearly here, and I have not heard anything new except software upgrades, some of which reduced functionality.

They have ... They've launched their enterprise division and Site Scan

 

[franknitty69]

welcome Shaun.

i think solo is easy enough to fly that it would be fine as your first drone.

solo is a modular and upgradeable platform. other drones require you to purchase a new model every year to get new functionality and/or fixes. with solo as new add ons are brought to market, you simply purchase what you need, not a whole new drone. the gimbal is upgradeable and the first new gimbal and cam will be available this summer with the site scan package. the gimbal/cam will most likely be sold separately as well. the accessory bay supports expansion by allowing manufacturers to create add ons that are plug and play. things like power tether, lidar/sonar (i've seen the module and it looks amazing), data acquisition sensors, other cameras (ir, nvdi, flir), etc. the motor pods are also user replaceable. and then there is the sdk, dronekit. the implementation of it is extremely dev friendly and allows developers to create new android apps (ios coming soon) and on-board software for the solo (smart shots, etc).

as far as issues there are issues with every drone. none are issue free. 3dr has made the audience for supported devices too broad in my opinion. you have people with hundred of different type of android devices, various oses on them and then 3 different types of gopros. that combination is pretty much impossible to support 100%. i'm convinced that most issues are because of this wide hardware support.

i have three hero4 blacks and one hero3+ black. all of them work perfectly fine with solo. once in a blue moon, one of them will not be recognized in the gimbal, i simply remove it from the gimbal and put it back in. problem solved.

the gps thing has been blown out of proportion so much that it is one of the first things new solo owners 'hear' about. in short gps works. can it be improved? of course. i get gps locks within 1 minute in open space. i can even get a lock inside my house. i have a video on youtube showing a lock in 30 seconds if you want to see it.

people have mixed results with the wifi connection. mine have been stellar, other people not so much. it is wifi signal and is susceptible to other wifi signals in the area. if you are in a congested area, this can easily be resolved by using better antennas or upgrading the wifi cards that are in the solo and controller. my stock solo went out to 1.1km. i put $5 antennas on them and went 2km.

also remember that solo has a 30 day money back guarantee, excellent warranty and customer support. also parts and accessories can be found at most major retailers.

 

[rassalas]

Batteries never performed up to specs, Platform was supposed to be upgrade-able. A year later, where's the upgrades?

 

[Ed Beck]

welcome Shaun.

the gps thing has been blown out of proportion so much that it is one of the first things new solo owners 'hear' about. in short gps works. can it be improved? of course. i get gps locks within 1 minute in open space. i can even get a lock inside my house. i have a video on youtube showing a lock in 30 seconds if you want to see it.

Qthe GPS thing isn`the blown out of proportion. If you live in a wide open area witrout much overcast then it's probably pretty good. If you want to operate Solo near trees or where you have frequent stratus clouds it'a an issue. Fortunately there'should an easy fix. GPS isolation plate. Only $13 and a very good fix.

 

[SPP]

Hi Shaun,

Me newbie too for Solo. Bought Jan 2016. All good so far.
I did not even do the GPS upgrade board or GPS isolation plate yada yada. If open field no building 10-12 sattelite lock easy.

Gimbal smooth.
If film making is your target, Solo would cut your flying learning curve a great deal.
Its due to Solo simplicity that I started flying again after I stop at Phantom 1, no gimbal, no telemetry nothing, pure fun training machine.

Things have improved a great deal for Solo since its introduction.

Fly safe yah